HUMANITY has taken a step closer to environmental catastrophe thanks to the omnicidal decisions reportedly made by the United States and Australian governments today.

In the US, President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly setting up a post-truth panel of “experts” to counter the scientific consensus that human activity is rapidly warming the planet’s climate.

Three senior White House officials told The Washington Post yesterday that the panel will include climate sceptic pseudo-scientists and work under the auspices of the National Security Council (NSC) — meaning the committee can avoid any public scrutiny.

According to the anonymous Post sources, Trump’s top choice to lead the committee is NSC senior director William Happer, a prominent climate change denier who was uncovered by a Greenpeace investigation to be willing to write reports on the benefits of rising carbon dioxide for money.

US scientists have condemned the White House’s plans. Nasa’s Kate Marvel said: “This is like assembling a panel of ‘gravity sceptics’ who insist it’s safe to jump off tall buildings, except in this case they want to take us all with them.”

Meanwhile in Australia, environmentalists blasted Prime Minister’s Scott Morrison’s half-hearted attempt to appeal to voters concerned with the climate, where summer temperatures have reached new extremes this year.

During a speech in Melbourne today, the pro-coal PM confirmed that the heavily criticised emissions reduction fund would be rebranded as the “climate solutions” fund and receive 2 billion Australian dollars (£1bn) in funds over the next 10 years.

Environmental campaigners from Extinction Rebellion and local groups gathered in the city today in advance of Mr Morrison’s speech to protest against his abysmal environmental policies.

Huge protest at @ScottMorrisonMP appearance today. Your fine words mean nothing because you want to throw public money at destructive coal.#IntergenerationalTheft #ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #ClimateActionNow #auspol #ScoMo pic.twitter.com/e2iyCsCZIx

— Galilee Blockade (@GalileeBlockade) February 24, 2019

Galilee Blockade, one of the groups at the demonstration today, said Mr Morrison’s fine words “mean nothing because you want to throw public money at destructive coal.”

“We’re giving Scott Morrison a hot reception because he wants to fry our kids,” the group said on Twitter.

“[This is] no real climate action plan because you [would] have to close coal and build renewables at an emergency speed to save our kids.”

Melbourne Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt branded Morrison’s gesture “a hoax.”

“There’s nothing in Morrison’s climate announcement that deals with coal,” Brandt told his Twitter followers today. “And if you don’t have a plan for coal, you’re not serious about climate change.”